News and Rants (slightly informative)

    The Importance Of sleep | Part 1 - The side effects of bad sleep   Do you want to be as strong as a bull, as energetic and fast as a panther, and have a clear mind all day?   Well, how you feel during your awake time is determined by how well you slept the night before.   When it comes to sleep quality, the sleeping routine and pre-bed habits are crucial.   Lack of sleep is well-known for causing attention problems, hormonal imbalances, and anxiety, as well as being a cause of a variety of illnesses.   So, How Important Is Sleep?   The significance of good sleep cannot be overstated, as it has a positive impact on overall efficiency, wellbeing, and cognitive functions.   Going to bed earlier to boost sleep quality is important, as it will make it easier to deal with daily situations the next day.   Getting enough sleep will allow you to produce better results in less time, or in other words, your pro...

Calories IN Calories OUT. WTF is the Truth?  WTF is a calorie?   Simply put . . . it is the amount of heat required to raise 1 kilogram of water one degree celcius.  Geez, thanks Coach Clarence I am good now,  watch the weight fall off (eye roll ensues). Energy is heat production.  Whenever muscle contracts to initiate movement, heat is being generated, thus calories are being burned. If you were to measure your temperature right now, you would probably be in the vicinity of 98.6 degrees. Your body maintains heat on an ongoing basis, and since a calorie is a measure of heat production, it correlates to the amount of energy a food provides. I know you are thinking what does that mean to me?  When the number of calories that you take in equals the number of calories that you expend in energy, you are maintaining an energy balance and your weight will not fluctuate very much. Conventional "diet wisdom" (a contradiction in terms) dictates that if you cut b...

The first thing many people go to when they think of losing weight is “cardio”--- otherwise known as aerobic exercise. You know, you exercise vigorously by riding fast on a bike or going out for a run, and that makes you breathe harder, increase the uptake of oxygen, and your heart beats faster. The oxygen uptake is the aerobic part and the increased heartbeat is the “cardio” part.  That’s old news. Yes, aerobic exercise can have some effect on weight loss when combined with wisely selected dietary intake. But it can backfire on you. Cardio, or moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, is only one of the pieces of a more complicated puzzle, and if you miss the bigger picture, you will miss your goal.  What can go wrong? Many women make the mistake of undereating and overdoing cardio! If you exercise aerobically, beyond your body's ability to provide regular fuel, the body reaches into muscle tissue and as you lose weight, you lose muscle!  By losing muscle through excessive...

  You have most likely heard about “Keto” unless you’ve been living under a rock. Or have you heard you need to be in a state of Ketosis in order to get into a state where significant ketone bodies are being produced and are actively traveling in your bloodstream. It’s how you   burn fat, right?   Basically, grab a fat piece of protein add butter or saturate it with a heavy dose of oil and “voila,” repeat all day and boom watch the magic happen. I know we live in the cancel culture and for some I just got canceled. I know some people are actively making money on the keto phenomenon. And some people are just into their feelings about it. First, I don’t do good or bad, I work with the science and let you decide. I have no stake in the keto game WHAT IS THE KETO DIET? We live in a polarized society, on one side Trumper’s, on the other side Biden boys and girls.    Its no different in fitness ask one “expert” and he or she will tell you the best way to g...

It’s no secret that the size of the average adult has expanded over the last forty years…and studies show that portion sizes have grown right along with us. Researchers from New York University found that average portion sizes started to grow in the 1970s, rising quickly in the 1980s, and this phenomenon hasn’t shown signs of slowing. A large order of fries from McDonald's’ weighs the same as 1998’s Supersize fries. And it doesn’t stop there. Check out these eye-opening figures, provided by the National Institutes of Health: Today's 6-inch bagel has  350  calories. This is  210  more calories than a 3-inch bagel 20 years ago. Today's 5-ounce muffin has  500  calories. This is  310  calories more than muffin 20 years ago. Today, a large cookie has about  275  calories. This is  220  more calories more than a cookie 20 years ago. Today, a 3 cup chicken Caesar salad has  790  calories. This is  4...

Never Give Up  Feeling stressed? Most people are these days.  The past couple of months have been filled with new levels of stress as we’ve all dealt with the   coronavirus pandemic.  But you don’t have to let stress get the best of you.  When stress is getting you down, you need something that makes you feel good and is good for   you.  I’m talking about exercise!  Every time you exercise you increase your body’s production of endorphins.  In case you have forgotten, endorphins are responsible for those good moods you get into after a race and the pleasure you feel while chomping down on a piece of chocolate. However, before you grab a piece of chocolate and skip your workout, remember the end result of each and choose which one will help you battle stress in the long run. (Hint: It’s not the chocolate.) Any and all exercise you do helps you fend off the effects of stress, in addition to all the other benefits of exerci...

Have you been getting on your scale while stuck at home? Or are you afraid of what it might say? There are different methods of tracking whether or not you’ve gained the quarantine 15 with a simple bathroom scale. Some step on every day, meticulously tracking the ups and downs. Others jump on it once a week. Still, others skip the scale altogether and simply focus on how they look and feel. Which method is best for you? Let’s dive deeper and find out… The Everyday Method:  There’s a large school of the thought that says in order to lose the most weight in the shortest amount of time you must get on the scale every day. Weigh yourself at the same time, preferably first thing in the morning, wearing as little as possible. Record the daily number and react accordingly. If your weight has gone up then make modifications to your diet (eat less) and to your workouts (exercise harder). If your weight has lowered then keep on doing what you’re doing because it’s working. Every...

You know that diet and exercise are important when it comes to creating your best body, but you may be overlooking other techniques for getting into the best shape. Even while stuck at home! Try out the following 13 simple habits and watch as your body transforms. 1. Eat a Smart Breakfast. Most people load up on carbohydrates and simple sugars for breakfast. Cereal, pastries, smoothies, and juice are all poor choices when it comes to starting your day off right. Center your breakfast around protein and healthy fat, and you’ll have the energy for hours. Try a protein shake, eggs, lean breakfast meat, or a handful of nuts. 2. Get More Sleep. If you’re not getting at least 8 hours of sleep each night then you could use more sleep. This is especially true if you’ve reached a plateau with weight loss. Give your body the 8 hours of sleep each night and make weight loss easier. 3. Just Do It. If you’re really ready to achieve your best body ever, then dig down dee...

When the social distancing mandate is lifted and we all emerge from our homes, you’re going to notice that many people put on weight during this stressful time. And it’s hard to blame them. Because fitness is  hard. It’s hard when life is normal, let alone when the world is on lockdown causing our stress to steadily rise and tempting us to turn to comfort food. Every day we have choices to make, and these choices take us closer to a fit and lean body or farther from a fit and lean body. Exercise or NO Exercise? Lace-up your shoes and take a run or do a bodyweight workout instead of getting extra sleep, watching TV or doing whatever else it is that you’d rather be doing. Do this 3-5 times each week for 30-60 minutes. OR Spend your spare time being as sedentary as possible. The less that you use your muscles, the more aches, pains and mobility limitations you’ll experience. Oh, and if you’re consuming more calories than your natural metabolism burns then you’ll s...

You’re stuck at home due to the coronavirus pandemic with Netflix and comfort foods causing you a huge amount of temptation. Not to mention the stress of this uncertain time making it easy to resort to stress eating… The fact is that after this quarantine you’re either going to be in worse shape – having gained many at-home pounds, OR you could use this extra time off to make visible progress towards your best body ever. Here are  12 Steps to Getting Lean while in Quarantine: Step One: Do Some Burpees.  Can burpees safely be performed at home? You bet. Incorporate a few minutes of burpees into your morning and evening routines to burn extra calories and tighten your core. Here’s how to do a burpee: 1) Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. 2) Drop to a squat with your hands on the ground. 3) Kick feet back while lowering into a push-up. 4) Return to the squat position. 5) Jump up with arms overhead. Step Two: Reduce Sodium.  Did you know that salt cau...